The Garden State governor's tough budget-cutting -- which has included teacher layoffs and the potential loss of a transit tunnel -- may not be universally liked in New Jersey, but on the road, in a high-school rebuilt as a stage, it plays as red meat.

"If I could vote for Linda McMahon I would here in Connecticut!" said Christie. "We in New jersey have been known for stuff like that."

"I wish he could run for Governor of Connecticut," said Steve Loparco, a builder from Stamford attending the event.

But McMahon's Democratic challenger, Richard Blumenthal, has had star visitors of his own, from President Obama to Bill Clinton.

And while this unfolds as Republicans try to turn blue Connecticut into a red state, many voters here concede, the critical issue involves how much money they have at the end of the day to pay their bills and raise their families.

"As a mother of two," said one Westport mom, hanging on to her daughters Julia and Olivia, who were wearing McMahon buttons, "I'm worried about the economy."